The waiting game
by Blue Wolf2
Summary: A crew member falls sick, forcing Jack and Ana to make a run to Port Royal. But when a storm gets in their way, opinions collide. Can they agree on what to do?


**It's been awhile, I know. I'm sorry for forcing you all to wait so long, and am sorry if my writing skills aren't up to par.**

**This is what happens when you go for several months not writing, then sit down one night to watch POTC.**

**The waiting game**

Anamaria, my first mate and best friend made her way slowly to me from where I leaned on the wall of the quarters hallway.

"How is he?" I asked quietly as she fixed the yellow bandana around her forehead.

My quarter master, Gibbs, had become sick early this morning. At first he had dismissed it as nothing. But then later that day Ana found him throwing up over the side of the ship, soon after, he had fainted. We had placed him in the crew quarters to rest. It was getting dark now, and she and I needed to decide what our next move was.

She sighed. "It's not looking good Jack." She said then looked over her shoulder, making sure no crew member heard her call me by my first name. "He has a fever, and it's going up by the hour. I'm afraid if we don't get him to a doctor, he might die." She bit her lip and I locked eyes with her. She looked scared. We were fighting a waiting game. Waiting to see how long he could hold out.

"I'll be damned if any of my crew dies on this ship, especially from sickness." I snapped and made my way to my cabin, Ana following closely behind.

She closed the door as I tore apart my desk looking for maps. Finally I found them. Ana helped me spread one out as I looked it over. My finger traced the outline I had set about two days ago. "We should be about...here." I told her, pointing to a section of nothing but water.

"The closest port's a day away and it's," She stopped and looked at me. "Jack, you're not thinking of going to Port Royal?" She asked.

"And what if I am?" I asked. "It's the closest and has the best doctors, ye should know that."

"But Jack, if you step foot there again, they'll...they'll hang you." She licked her lips.

I nodded. "I know Ana. But it's the only chance we've got. The only chance _Gibbs_ has got." I rolled the map back up and made my way to the door. "We make for Port Royal, end of discussion."

"Aye aye Captain." She whispered as I exited my cabin.

I appeared on the deck and began shouting orders. "Full mast! We turn due East!"

The crew stared at me, but before I could yell at them again I heard a voice behind me. "Ye heard the Captain! Due east! _Now_!" Ana screamed at them. The crew began running about the ship and I smiled. They knew better than to mess with a woman, for a woman's wrath is always worse than a man's.

But an hour later it was the God's who seemed to be sending us their wrath. Soon a storm moved in. I stood at the helm trying my best to steer the _Pearl_ through the rain. I was soaked from head to toe, the deck of my ship was slick with water and buckets of it fell down on the crew from the sails.

I then felt Ana's presence. Don't ask me how, I just did. I turned to find my first mate sliding across the deck in a desperate attempt to get to me. I reached out, grabbing her hand and pulled her to the helm. As she clutched the wheel I yelled; "What's wrong?"

"It's Gibbs!" She shouted back. "He's out cold!" Her face showed pure fear and her eyes were cloudy with concern.

My face palled. There were two things you never wanted to put together when someone was sick, a high fever and un-conciseness. Gibbs had both. "How bad is it?" I yelled to her.

She gave me a silent look and I knew that if we didn't ride out this storm, we'd lose him. We couldn't afford to fight the waiting game any longer. It was now or never.

Then a sudden wave came crashing down on the ship. Without a warning, I pushed Ana down, forcing myself on top of her, but still keeping a hold of the wheel. A few minutes passed and I stood up, pulling her with me.

She eyed the water pouring down off the sails. "We need to take down the sails!" She yelled to me.

"What?" I yelled confused. She then started to make her way to the mast. I felt torn, I needed to go after her, but I couldn't just leave the helm. Cotton suddenly appeared. After handing the helm over to him I raced after Ana.

She had already gotten one of the lines untied and was working on the other one. "Ana, don't!" I yelled running at her. She looked up and caught me as I fell against her. Another wave then came rushing towards us. Both of us held onto the sail lines as the water washed across the deck. "What do you think you're doing?" I yelled to her.

"Jack, if you don't take these down, the mast is going to fall!" She yelled to me, looking up at the dark sky.

"But we can't take them down!" I yelled back. "If we do, the ship will move slower and we can't afford that!"

"Jack! We have _no_ choice! If these don't come down, they'll force the mast down on _all_ of us! We could all die!"

"Damnit woman! If we don't keep them up, we'll never reach port and Gibbs _will _die!" I grabbed her by her shoulders, forcing her to look at me. "I'm the Captain! Let _me_ make the life and death choices around here!" I yelled.

"You'd risk your ship for him?" She screamed. I knew Ana loved the _Pearl_, but I never knew she would put it before one of the crew's lives.

"YES! And I'd do the same for you!" I shouted to her.

Then something in her eyes changed. "As I would for you," She whispered.

Suddenly the wind stopped and the rain started to pour down less and less. "What's happening?" I asked.

"The storm's stopped..." She trailed off. Sure enough, the sky was still grey, but the rain and wind had ceased. Then I heard her whispering something we had been told by a gypsy a few years ago. "When a man fights for his life a storm rages outside, but when he quits, the calm returns."

She looked up at me, eyes wide. "Gibbs." I muttered and we both took off for the crew's quarters, trying our best to not fall. As we passed the helm I yelled to Cotton; "Keep on course!"

Ana burst into the cabin, running over to Gibbs and felt for his pulse. I stopped outside the door, praying silently. _Please God..._

"He's alive, but barely." She said. "How far are we from Port Royal?"

"I'd say maybe half a day."

She nodded. "That just might buy us enough time."

I returned to the helm, telling Cotton to see if Ana needed any help. The wind filled the masts and the _Pearl_ was picking up speed. All we could do was return to the waiting game.

Soon we reached Port Royal. Ana stood beside me as I steered the boat towards the dock. "It seems we have a party waiting for us." I muttered. The Royal Navy, Norrington included, stood at the dock awaiting us.

Ana jumped up on the rail of the ship and shouted; "If you're an honorable man you'll let us dock without any confrontation!"

"Why should I?" Norrington yelled to her.

"Because we carry one that's ill and needs medical treatment, or he'll _die_."

"Lower your weapons." Norrington ordered. Ana turned, giving me a nod. Three of my crew members then retrieved Gibbs.

"Where's the closest doctor?" I asked as we stepped onto the dock.

Norrington sighed. "Follow me Sparrow."

Once again Ana and I were forced to wait. Wait for the doctor to arrive. Wait for the doctor to look over Gibbs and last but not least, wait for Gibbs to recover.

The doctor concluded that he had a viral infection. He gave him a antibodic and Ana and I took shifts watching over him. Three days later Gibbs was awake and well. Six days later the doctor allowed him to leave and return to the _Pearl,_ and by ten days later, he was back to work.

The waiting game had passed.


End file.
